


The Birds and The Bees

by MQDK



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-03-14 18:21:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3420875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MQDK/pseuds/MQDK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Betaed by the wonderful Christine. It would had been a train wreck without her. </p><p>Dean and Sam Winchester is now the presidents of a huge international multimillion dollar company, the family busines. Dean is very good at his job, but he doesnt thrive in it the same was as Sam does. On their first day at work, Dean is late and ends up bying new socks from a very charismatic man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You oversleept again, didn´t you?

The alarm clock blared again. 

Why the hell had Sam changed the alarm from the radio to some kind of fog horn anyway? Dean had to practically peel himself from the ceiling while his heart pounded a million miles a minute, but it still didn’t make him feel more awake once the ardenaline had faded away. 

The little bitch would pay. Later. Right now, Dean still had time for 5 more minutes...

When his phone rang later, Dean knew that he had slept more than 5 more minutes. He grabbed the phone and hurried out of bed, stubbed his toe on a chair and tumbled into the bathroom before he turned on the shower. He cleared his throat before he answered the phone and tried to sound bright and awake.

”Hey, Sammy! I´m on my way, give me 5 more minutes, okay?” Hastily, he pulled off the t-shirt and jeans he had fallen asleep in last night. He pulled off his dirty boxers and stepped into the shower while Sam’s voice nagged in his ear.

”You overslept again, didn’t you?”

Dammit, how did he know?

”What? Sam, I’m hanging up now, I’m still in the shower. Talk later.” With that, he threw his phone at his pile of clothes and quickly wet and shampooed his hair. 30 seconds later, he was out of the shower as water dripped on the tiles. Fuck, he had forgotten to bring a towel with him from the bedroom in his post sleep haste. Hurriedly, he debated whether he wanted water everywhere on his floors while he got the towel or if there was a better alternative. 

He grabbed the small handtowel from the sink and dried himself with that. No time for being picky. He pulled on his jeans, aware that he had to go commando today, which would be a bitch, put on some deodorant and ran into his room to find a clean t-shirt. He then thought he may have to dress it up just a little and pulled a blazer on top of it. He looked himself over in the mirror. He looked like a douche.

Just as he was about to change his mind and pull on a shirt instead of a t-shirt, his phone buzzed.

Sam: 5 minutes are up. Get your ass down here now or I’m leaving.

Dean was tempted to tell his little brother where to stick it, but really, he was out of time. He couldn’t find his socks and just pulled on his shoes, thankful that his jeans were long enough to hide his bare feet. God, he just wanted this day to be over and quick!

He grabbed his bag and locked up the apartment. 20 seconds later, he caught up with Sam.  
”Sam! Wait up, man!” Sam didn’t wait. He just continued his stroll down the sidewalk and looked calm and collected. He even wore socks. Ass.

”Morning, Dean. I see you had a calm morning, hm?” Bitch.

Dean tried for nonchalance and gave a little laugh.”Heh, yeah, you know, nothing like having plenty of time in the morning!” 

He straightened his jacket as they reached the first shop window. He looked every bit of the mess he was this morning. Shit! His hair! It was everywhere! He tried desperately to smooth it down one way or another, but it only worked half way. It was all over the place in the back. Had he been standing on his head in his sleep??

”Right,” Sam mumbled. He did not sound impressed at all. Dean caught up with him again and got a styrofoam cup of coffee from his brother. Well, maybe not so much of an ass anyway.

”Thanks, man!” He accepted the cup gratefully and carefully pulled off the lid. 

Oh, what a fantastic smell. Pure and simple drip coffee. He could’ve kissed Sam, but he didn’t. Instead he took a small sip from the brew and stopped to let himself savor the taste. His brain began to calm down and he could feel the adrenaline leave his body as he started to think more clearly. 

He opened his eyes again and looked at the shop window he was standing outside of. It was a men’s wear shop called Birds and the Bees. Really? Men’s wear? It sounded more like a shop for children. It was open and it had a sale on underwear. He looked at his watch. He could make it if the shop was open.

”Sam! Wait up.” Sam stopped and turned around and looked at his disheveled brother as he stood outside of a men’s wear boutique. What the hell was he up to now?

”Dean, we don’t have time for this now,” he said impatiently.

”Sure, we do. What are they gonna do, start without us?” he said with a shit eating grin and hurried inside the shop. 

It was empty, but then again, it had only just opened for the day. It was a small, cozy shop, with a lot of different styles and accessories. There was everything from jeans to suits, and Texas belt buckles to silk ties and...hairpins? 

Dean smiled a little at that. What a weird collection of crap, he thought with a smile. There was a rich smell of spices, tea and coffee and something sweet that Dean couldn’t put his finger on. He quickly found the underwear, 2 pairs for the price of one. He also found a packet of socks and a scarf he thought looked cool. 

He brought it to the counter to pay for it, but nobody was standing there. A small bell stood on the table with the old fashioned cash register. It looked like something from out of a western. Dean loved it. Ring for help, a sign said, so Dean rang the bell. A few seconds later, a man appeared seemingly out of nowhere and almost scared the crap out of Dean as he admired the eclectic decor around him.

”May I help you?” A deep, rumbly voice said as it pulled Dean out of his fascination with the little shop. He looked up at the man on the other side of the counter. Dark hair, blue eyes, chapped lips, pale skin. For some reason, Dean thought he looked European. Dean also thought he looked cute as he smiled at him.

”Yes, please.” He put his things on the counter and looked up at the man. ”I´d like these things, if you don’t mind.”

The man on the other side gave him a small, friendly smile and nodded. ”Of course.” 

He rang in the few items and pulled out a paper bag that had a revolver, a sparrow and a bee on it. A weird motif, but the design made it work. Dean paid for the items and took the offered bag from the man. 

He looked at the motif. ”Cool bag.” he said as he admired the design.

”Thank you.” The man on the other side rumbled.

Dean looked up at the humble tone of voice.”You made this?” 

The man shook his head.”No, my late father made it. It was his shop before he passed away.” The man looked at the bag with wistful eyes.

”Oh. I’m sorry about your dad.” Dean replied, not sure of what to say.

The man looked up at him with a genuine smile. ”Thank you. But it’s been a few years now, so...” Dean nodded. The guy had moved on. Good for him.

”I haven’t seen you around here. Are you new in this area?” 

The man shrugged. ”Both yes and no. I grew up here, but moved away when I went to college. I returned last month when my brother had to give up the shop. I bought it from him and, well, here I am.” Dean nodded. It made sense.  
”Ah. Okay. Well, welcome back, then. I’m Dean,” he said and gave the man his hand. Well, he tried to anyway. The man on the other side looked from Dean’s face to his hand as if he found the custom very weird before he shook it.

”I´m Castiel. And thank you, Dean.” They held on to each others hand a little too long and suddenly Dean felt his phone buzz in his jacket as it started to play the first few seconds of Smoke on the Water. Dean looked down at his pocket, still holding Castiel’s hand in his.

”Maybe you should take that?” Castiel said and Dean looked up at him. He was smiling. He had a nice smile, pretty blue eyes and even though his hair was messier than Dean’s, it looked great. More than great. It looked hot.

”Dean. Your phone is ringing. Let go of my hand and answer it.” The command in his voice was unmistakable and Dean complied.

”Right. Right! Of course, sorry!” he said and let go of his hand and answered the phone.

”What the hell is taking so long?! We’re expected to be there in 10 minutes, Dean! Get your ass in gear!” Sam hung up before Dean could say anything. He just looked up at Castiel and smiled a sheepish smile.

”I gotta go. I’m late.” he said, but he didn’t move. He just stared at Castiel. God, the man was gorgeous!

Castiel smiled a different smile. He was onto Dean. Fuck. But Dean couldn’t really make himself care about that. Castiel moved from behind the counter and around to Dean’s side. He grabbed Dean’s arm and helped him to the door. 

”We can´t have that, now can we?” He asked with a warm smile and Dean couldn’t help but answer with a smile of his own. 

As they reached the door, both of them stopped. Dean could feel Castiel’s warmth and his breath smelled like tea and honey. They were so close to each other that Dean could have stretched his neck a little and he could touch Castiel. He could kiss Castiel. 

Dean could hear the blood rush in his ears and his eyes zoomed in on Castiel’s lips. God, how he wanted to taste them. Castiel’s lips moved like he was talking but Dean couldn’t hear him over the rush of blood in his ears. Castiel leaned up the door and moved even closer to Dean. God, he smelled good. Was he...? Was he going to kiss him? YesYEsYes!Please, yes! Then Castiel moved away and opened the door. He hadn’t been leaning in to kiss Dean, he had just opened the door for him.

Dean was an idiot. His brain snapped out of its trance and he caught up with the world again.  
”Have a nice day, Dean. Watch your step,” he said as Dean stumbled out the door. 

Dean smiled, embarrassed, as he almost lost his footing on the step down to the sidewalk. ”Yeah, thank you,” he stuttered. ”You, you too, Cas.”

Castiel smiled and leaned up against the door frame. ”See you later,” he said with a sexy smirk and his hands in his back pockets. Dean blushed like crazy and he felt his cheeks flame up.

”Yes! Yes, we, we´ll see. I mean, I´ll see you, see you later. Castiel. See you later. Bye.” Dean hurried and turned around before he could embarrass himself further. God, he was an idiot!

”What was that?” Sam asked when Dean caught up with him.

”Nothing. Let’s move,” he said, as he tried not to look at his brother. ”We´re late.”

Sam just smiled a knowing smile as he looked back at the store and the man that stood in the doorway and looked back at them.

The board meeting had been delayed due to the brother’s tardiness. Dean had been further delayed because he went to his office first and pulled the curtains shut to put on his new underwear and shirt. 

As he had looked into his mirror, he knew he looked ridiculous with a white shirt and jeans. Why did he wear jeans? Oh yeah, right, because he had overslept. And why had he over slept? OH YEAH, BECAUSE GAMES OF THRONES HAD PREMIERED LAST NIGHT! 

The new season was gonna kill him, he knew that. He had stayed up all night, skyping with Charlie about the newest episode, which had lead to Charlie’s latest obsession, live action role playing. Dean had mocked her for it, but in the end, she had convinced him to join her and her friend this Saturday in the woods. 

Later, as he said his goodbyes to her and crawled into bed at 4 in the fucking morning, he cursed himself for getting sucked into her geeky world and for the fact that he knew he wouldn’t fall asleep for an hour, and then would have to make do on 2 hours of sleep. That wasn’t enough for him on a good day, and he knew the board meeting would be a bitch to get through. 

He had talked to his dad about it the week before and was mentally prepared on all the questions and answers that he and Sam had to answer, so that wasn’t really a problem. Still, he was anxious to stand up in front of the Senior Partners for the first time without his dad at his side and take full responsibility for a multi million dollar entrepreneurial firm. Well, not alone as he had Sam at his side, but as the oldest of the brothers, the pressure would be on him more than on Sam.

And now, he was already late and dressed as a punk. Well, fuck me, Dean thought. He was actually quite comfortable and as he pulled on his socks, he decided to skip the shirt and pull on his t-shirt again. This was his firm now and he could dress anyway he wanted to, and if those old farts had a problem with that, they could go fuck themselves. Dean was tired of being looked down at, of not really measuring up to his old man. John Winchester was a silent owner now and Dean and Sam Winchester were presidents of the firm. Things were gonna change around the place. He just had to talk with Sam about that...

As he stepped inside the conference room, his determination and self confidence dropped a bit as all eyes now were on him. Everybody, Sam included, wore a suit and tie and Dean...Well, Dean wore worn out jeans, a t-shirt with the Rolling Stones on it and worn out biker boots. His hair was a mess and he had forgotten his bag in his office.

”Wassup?” he greeted the entire room of old men and women and he sat down at the end of the table. Sam’s mouth was pulled together in a bitch face but Dean didn’t give a shit.

”Let’s get this show on the road,” he said, and opened the meeting. And Dean slayed it in there. He answered all of their questions and concerns and he presented some of the few ideas he and Sam had for the company. Sam supported him and together, they closed the meeting two and a half hours later. Everybody seemed at ease and maybe not impressed with the two young Winchesters, but content with John Winchester’s two successors. When they were alone in the room, Dean started to lean over the table for the coffee cups and old teabags as Sam closed his briefcase.

”Dean, that was...impressive,” he said and Dean looked at him from across the huge table. He looked down at his hands that had 5 styrofoam cups and 7 porcelain cups with old teabags in them. He had big hands, so it wasn’t really that impressive, he thought to himself.

”It’s just cups, Sam. I’m sure you could hold onto more than I can,” he said with a smile, even though he knew exactly what Sam meant. 

Nonetheless, it made Sam smile. ”No, you jerk, I meant the meeting. You really slayed it. I think you impressed the Senior Partners.”

Dean looked away a little embarrassed. He put the cups and the trash on a little table for the cleaners to pick up later.

”Nah, nobody can impress those old bastards, you know that.” He wiped his hands on his pant legs glad, yet again, that he didn’t wear a suit.

Sam just shook his head, ”Nevertheless, man, you did.” He took his briefcase and followed Dean out of the conference room.  
”So is this a new office rule, then? Casual Fridays everyday?” He asked his older brother as they went down the hall to their own offices.

”You know what, Sam,” Dean said in a very serious voice, ”I think that is a great idea. You should send out a memo.” He clapped Sam’s shoulder as they parted. 

Sam’s laughter rumbled down the hall until Dean closed his door. He leaned up against it and let go of his breath. He was a wreck. He couldn’t believe they had actually made it.

”Well, that was fun,” he said to no one in particular. He grabbed his spray bottle and started to mist his plants with water. He found it was a great way to relax.

At 5 o´clock on the dot, Sam poked his head inside of his big brother’s door. ”You just about ready?” he asked, then sighed as he saw the huge stacks of paper on Dean’s desk. His brother buried in paperwork was a sight he would never get used to. Not when he knew what Dean’s real passion was. 

Though Dean had always done what their father asked, deep inside Dean was a rebel. He didn’t care about the corporate life. He didn’t care about staff meetings, senior partners or building projects abroad. And he sure as shit didn’t care about all the paperwork that came with being Co-President of an international company. 

Dean was a smart man, an intelligent man with a drive that could take him anywhere, if he put his mind to it. But he never did. He had always done what their father had told him to do. Sam was here by choice, Dean by default. Somebody had to lead the family business, and now that their father had retired, Sam and Dean were it. 

Dean had started on the bottom and had worked his way to the top, but he had thrived as a foreman in the field. This, being head of the company, had happened too fast. Last year, John Winchester had suffered a minor stroke and had slowly released the reins over to his sons. 

Sam, who had been studying law at Stanford, had been pulled in, but he had wanted this. Dean had been pulled in because he was the oldest of the two of them. You couldn’t let the youngest son take over the entire thing when there was also an elder son. It just wouldn’t look good. 

Dean had grudgingly accepted his fate, had left the jeans and faded t shirts behind and suited up. He had been miserable. Today was the first time in a year, Sam had seen his brother at ease and out of the suit. Today, was also the first day John wasn´t at the office. He was at home, with Mary, supposedly happy.

Dean looked up at his brother. ”It’s 5 already?” he asked and looked around, maybe for the first time in hours. The office was more or less abandoned.  
”Oh,” he said, and looked down at his papers and then looked up at Sam again. ”You just go on home Sam, I have to finish this before I go.”

Sam stepped inside and opened the door. The office needed some air. ”What are you doing?” he asked and stepped up to his brother and looked over his shoulders. 

Contracts. They were always a bitch, but they were Sam’s specialty.

Sam pulled a chair up to the desk. ”Here, give them to me,” he said and stretched out his arm for them. 

Dean looked up. ”You don’t have to, Sam. Just go home. Jessica is waiting.”

Yes, she was. Sam pulled his phone out and dialed his fiancé. ”Hi, honey, it’s me. I’m gonna be late today, sorry. Yeah, you know it,” he said and laughed a little. Then, ”Yeah, that sounds good. Enjoy your night. Love you,” and hung up his phone.

”Jess is eating at a girlfriend’s house. I’m all yours. Now, give.”

Dean hesitated, then shook his head. ”We need to talk about work hours here...” he grumbled and gave Sam a stack of contracts.

”We have a lot of things to talk about.” Sam said with a smile and together, the two brothers started to read and sign contracts.


	2. Say Thank you, Dean.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something dawns on Dean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Partly betaed by Christine :)

Dean Winchester sat in his car as he waited for the light to change. He was on his way to his parent’s house for Sunday dinner. He knew his father would be on pins and needles as he waited for Dean and Sam to arrive so that he could grill them on their first week at the firm by themselves. 

Dean knew his brother would be late, which left Dean to take to first wave of their father’s curiosity and criticism. Sam didn’t do it to be mean to Dean, he did it for the sake of the family peace. Sam and their dad had never been on the same wavelength, or maybe they were just too much alike, but fact was that to put those two in the same room together would be a blood bath. If it were not for their mother…Dean shivered at the thought. 

The light changed to green and he put his car in gear again. It gleamed in the sunlight and Dean had, as usual, checked on it that morning and did his best to make sure it would pass his dad’s inspection. His father had bought it before he married their mother. John and Mary had had a huge fight over the car and John had put the car in a garage, not wanting to let go of it. 6 months later, he had bought the minivan that he and Mary had talked about, the car which had brought the Winchesters on vacation all over the country. 

When Dean was 15, his father had shown him the Impala. He had restored it and kept it warm and safe in their basement and it was time for it to be brought into the huge garage that was part of the mansion they had bought, when Winchester inc. went on stock. John Winchester had become a very wealthy man overnight. 

When Dean had first laid eyes on the black beauty, he had fallen in love. John had seen it and he had promised Dean the car when he had graduated from Stanford. Dean had worked his fingers to the bone, not really being much of a book guy, but he had graduated with honors. When Dean had presented the graduation papers for his father, he had received a pat on the back and the car keys. His father had been proud of him that day.

As Dean drove down the street to his parent’s mansion, so different from the house Dean had lived in as a child, he smiled when he saw his mother on the sidewalk, walking the dog. The golden retriever, Bones, may have belonged to Sam but he was the pet for the entire family. He was old now and didn’t walk as fast as he had as a puppy. Dean was sure that he could see the changes in the dog for every week that went by. 

His mother on the other hand, looked radiant. How she could still stay so beautiful when their dad looked…well, like their dad, was a mystery to Dean. He waved at her as he drove by and swung into the driveway. Sam’s Mustang was nowhere in sight. Great. And there was their dad. Double great. He turned off the engine and greeted his father.

“Hey, Dad,” Dean said as he got out of the car and went over to his father. He was greeted with a very manly handshake and a very small smile.

“Son,” John replied as he greeted him and Dean felt the love from his father. John Winchester was a man of few words but when he spoke, he meant every word and there was no doubt about what he felt. Dean felt it in spades.

“You’re still taking care of her, I see,” as he nodded at the Impala. Dean nodded with a smile. His father seemed to approve and Dean swelled with pride.

“I try,” he said modestly and looked at the car. There wasn’t so much as a spot on her, even after the drive through town. John went and opened the bonnet and looked down at the gleaming engine. He hummed and nodded his approval. “Looks good, son. A little bit too clean, perhaps. Don’t want her to dry up, boy.” Dean nodded. Only his dad would disapprove the spotless engine. In the same moment, his mom came up the driveway with the old, tired dog at her heels.

“Hi, sweetheart,” she said as she kissed and hugged him. 

He smiled into his mother’s golden hair and kissed her cheek. “Hi, mom.”

When she pulled away from him, she looked him in the eyes. “You look tired. Do you get enough to eat? You’ve lost weight. Are you okay?” 

Dean smiled at her worried eyes. “I’m fine, mom. Sam is the one who doesn’t eat right,” he deflected and she laughed. Dean and Sam’s eating habits were very different and a constant source for bickering between the two brothers.

She held her arm around his waist and looked down at the engine. She didn’t know much about cars but she gave him a squeeze anyway. “She’s beautiful, honey.” 

Dean didn’t answer, just smiled and kissed her temple. That was the same moment Sam’s plastic monstrosity of a car roared up the driveway. John carefully closed the bonnet and waved at Sam. Mary let go of Dean and moved to the new car. She zoomed in on the bundle of joy in the back and pulled the baby out as soon as Sam had turned off the engine.

“Come to grandma.” She cooed and the little girl squeed in delight. Hannah was a blond version of her father, poor kid. Dean smiled at the sight of his parents with their grandchild. He was happy Sam and Jessica had a kid that could bring that kind of joy to his parents. Dean knew his chances were pretty slim for bringing children into the family, no matter how much he wanted to. He didn’t even have anyone to share such things with. Dean Winchester was in an unusual dry spell and he didn’t have anything but his work and family to spend his time on.

Sam went to Dean and greeted him as Jessica was more or less swept up in their parent’s arm.

“Hey, Sam.” The two brothers greeted each others with a hug.

“Hey, Dean.” Dean let go of his brother and looked with disdain on the Mustang.

“Still with the Playmobil, I see.” Sam smiled and nudged his brother in the ribs.

“Shut it, Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

Sam opened the back door and pulled out bags of baby-stuff and loaded it in to Dean’s arms.

“Carry this inside.”

Dean groaned but helped his brother with all of their stuff. He dumped the diapers on the kitchen table together with the big bag filled with extra clothing, bottles, nappies, stuffed animals, blankets and something that Dean couldn’t figure out what it was. He picked it up and looked at it. It looked like a bong and he smiled a crooked smile and put the flat rubber thingy on his nose and took a deep breath.

“So, where’s the weed?” he asked Sam as he dropped all the stuff in his arms on the table. He looked up at his brother and laughed a little. 

“It’s not a bong, you asshat. That’s Jessica’s breast pump you’re fondling!” Dean froze. He was sniffing his sister in law’s breast pump. This thing on his nose had been on her boob. There was something thrilling about it, but mostly just gross. 

He made a face and put it down. “You should probably wash that before she uses it again.”

“Ya think?”

In that exact moment, Jessica came in through the door with John, Mary and Hannah, who was on her grandmom’s arm, at her heels. She looked at her fiancé and his brother and the device in front of him and put two and two together.

“Dean, if you wanted to use it, all you had to do was ask.” She smiled and made Dean blush just a little.

Everybody talked as the entire family helped to put all the baby stuff away and Mary and Jessica started on the dinner. The boys each took a beer and went outside onto the porch. Sam had Hannah in his arms, and outside of the toddler’s happy noises, a silence fell over all three Winchesters. They could all hear the two women in the kitchen as they talked and laughed together and Sam just sat there with a sappy smile on his face. He had had that dopey look on his face ever since Jessica told him she was pregnant. He looked like an idiot but Dean couldn’t be more proud of his little brother.

“So,” Their father had started to say, and Dean knew what would come next. He turned a little in the chair to look at his dad.

“How are things?” John asked. 

Dean looked over at Sam, who just looked at his daughter as she sat on his lap and played with his phone.

“At the firm, you mean” Dean clarified unnecessarily. “Things are fine,” he said and took a swig of his beer. Dean knew John had kept up on what happened at his firm and how his sons were doing. He just wanted to hear it from the boys themselves.

“We have started some of the new negotiations about the drilling in Norway.” Sam piped up and John looked at him.

“Those drillings are a dead fish. The Norwegians won’t let anybody else near their underground.” Dean happened to agree with his father on that one, but Sam had insisted they keep the pressure on.

“We’re breaking ground in Haiti next week.” Dean said. The Haiti earthquake had destroyed everything in its wake and only a few organizations had remained to keep up work there after the media storm died down. It was Dean’s pet project to give to charity and Random Acts had contacted him and they were about to start building a hospital in conjunction with the children’s center. It was a good organization, run by good people.

“Hmm.” John grumbled. He had never cared for charity and had only agreed on it because of the tax benefits.

“What about the Bella complex? “ The Bella complex was a massive mall in New England which would bring a lot of money in for the firm, if they got their hands on the contract. It was still a stalemate between Winchester Inc and Crowley’s Buildings. 

Dean hated Crowley’s Buildings. He hated their jingle, “Location, Location, Location, it’s all about location”, on the radio and he hated the man himself with a passion. If they lost this contract to Crowley, Dean felt like he would shoot himself.

“Still working on it. Crowley doesn’t play fair and he has contacted the Environmental Assessment department, which is now looking through all our crap. We have Allan Shore on it.” John nodded. Nothing had changed in that department since his retirement.

All three men were quiet for a long time after that. The birds chirped in the big willow trees in the garden but other than that, nature was quiet. 

Then: “I hear that you’ve changed the dress code at the office.” Such an innocent sentence, but it hit Dean like a freight train. It was Dean that their father had targeted today, it seemed.

“Not really, no. People can wear whatever they want when they’re at the office. If they have meetings or conferences or other things where they are representing the firm, everybody suits up as usual.” Dean said, tried not to sound too defensive. 

He had, since that first morning when they were late, been casually dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Nobody seemed to care and nobody but Dean had taken the looser dress code to heart. He was the only one. He was surrounded by good people who all wanted what they did. They loved their work and they accepted that the Winchesters were a little different. Or at least, that Dean was a little different. Sam still wore the suit every day.

“So, it’s just you then; The CEO of the company, the face of the company. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. I’ll bet the clients stand in line to sign us up,” he said with a quiet sarcasm the women inside had no chance of hearing through the open window.

Dean didn’t say anything. What could he say? It had been a week and he had already disappointed his father. He looked at Sam, who looked like he had swallowed a lemon, as he glared angry daggers at their father. Dean hoped he wouldn’t say anything and chance ruining Sunday dinner, but he was never that lucky.

“Actually yes, they have. We have signed 3 major clients in the past week, all 3 in Italy.” Sam said with pride and looked at Dean. Dean knew that it was a mistake to mention those contracts.

“Oh well, Italians, that’s great. We all know what honest and straightforward people they are.”  
Their father had always had a problem with the Italians. Nobody really knew why, but he didn’t trust them. That was why Dean hadn’t mentioned them earlier.

“The contracts are signed and there is no way for them to get out of those without paying. This is good for the firm, dad.” Sam insisted and leaned forward. Hannah had drooled all over his phone by now and had started to lose interest in the rubber covered device. She wanted to get down on the floor and Sam let her go. 

Dean smiled as his eyes landed on his niece. Her chubby cheeks framed her smile as she looked up at him and crawled over. He let her spit covered little fingers grab a hold on his trousers and she pulled herself up. His expensive trousers quickly showed where she had put her hands. Dean didn’t mind though, he still had plenty of clothes and preferred jeans anyway. 

It had always been a tradition that at Sunday dinners, everybody was dressed to the nines. “Suit up. Always suit up.” Suddenly Dean felt like he didn’t know the difference between Friday at the office and Sunday at his parents. It was just always the same. 

When Hannah had come into the world, things had brightened considerably in Dean’s life. She was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise boring and grey day to day life. She was the wallpaper on his phone, the laughter on his iPad and the smudged fingers on his trousers. He loved her dearly. 

She clearly wanted to come up, so Dean lifted her up to sit with him. She babbled and pulled at his tie, and pulled herself up to stand. He held her loosely, supporting her balance, but let her stand and jump on his lap. 

He blew raspberry kisses on her neck and she laughed and screamed and pulled away. When Dean stopped, she moved in for more. Dean laughed, as he was smitten by her infectious laughter, and didn’t even notice his father get up and leave his sons and granddaughter on the deck. He didn’t notice that Sam had snapped a few pictures of him with Hannah, didn’t notice Sam get up and leave as well. It was when he heard his mother’s voice call to him and Hannah that he realized they were alone and that it was time to eat.

Dinner went smoothly as Dean kept a low profile, Jessica and his mother doing most of the talking as usual. The Winchester men had never been the biggest talkers. John sat and smiled and hmm’ed and agreed with his wife here and there. Sam did the same, while Dean sat beside Hannah and kept busy as he helped his niece with her food, so that her parents could have some time off. Besides, Dean loved it, so he didn’t mind. 

Suddenly, his mother asked the inevitable question that arose once they had run out of topics to discuss. Hannah threw a fit that her mother solved by taking her from the table and walking around the big house with her.

“So, Dean. What’s new in your life?” which translates from Mary Winchester speak into ‘Dating anyone special?’ Dean hated it.

“Nothing, really.” He said and took a sip from his wine. He didn’t like the stuff, but his mother didn’t want him to drink beer at the dinner table. She knew if she gave him her blessing, she would end up as the only one drinking wine. Beer didn’t go well with the stark white table cloth.

“Anybody special in your life that we haven’t heard of?” she asked and glanced at Sam with a knowing smile. Something was going on. Something he didn’t know about. Something about him. What had Sam told her??

“No”. He hesitated a little then looked at Sam. “What have you told her, Sam?” No point in beating around the bush here. It wasn’t really the Dean Winchester way.

“Nothing. I haven’t told her anything.” He said innocently.

“Is there something to tell?” Mary asked her sons, as she enjoyed the discomfort of her oldest a little too much.

“No.” he answered calmly while he shot daggers at Sam and still smiled at his mother.

“That’s not what I’ve heard.” Dean’s head whipped around at the sound of his father as he chimed in.

“What?!” Dean asked and swallowed heavily. Just what the hell was going on here? 

John had a stone face but his eyes were danced with mirth. “Oh nothing, really. Gabriel told me you bought socks and boxers from his brother, who described you as a very charming and funny man.” 

Gabriel was a business associate of his father’s and had retired before John at a much, much younger age. Gabriel was a man who had a lot of irons in the fire at once and had built and sold 3 major companies over the last 10 years. He was now, as far as Dean knew, enjoying the fruits of his labor in Las Vegas.

“Gabriel has a brother?” he asked and shivered at the thought of more than one Gabriel walking around on the planet. 

John looked at him and a small smirk danced on his lips. “He does.”

“Wait a second,” Mary butted in. “Which one are we talking about here?” She sounded worried.

“He has more than one?!” Dean asked, confused and wracked his brain as to who it could be that he had bought socks from and could only come up with Castiel. But he looked nothing like Gabriel. Like, at all!

“Castiel,” his father said calmly and his mother drew a sigh of relief.

“Oh thank god, I feared it was the other one.” Sam laughed a little at that.

“That would have been a match made in hell.” Everybody but Dean was laughing. He was totally lost.

“I like Castiel.” His mother said with a smile and looked at Dean.

“Me, too.” Sam said and Dean looked at him.

“You know him?” Dean’s face started to redden, but hells bells if he would let them know that he knew that.

“You didn’t?” His father said and Dean looked at him.

“No. How was I supposed to know him?” Dean asked.

“You really don’t remember him?” John said, suddenly serious. Everybody sobered up around the table, the only sound was the distinct sound of Hannah as she cheered somewhere in the house.

Dean shook his head and saw everybody around the table share a look. Then Sam stood up.

“I think I’ll go and check up on the girls,” he said and excused himself from the table. Dean knew it was a way out for Sam as he looked over at his parents, who both looked very serious.

“When you were 10 years old, you almost died, Dean. Don’t you remember the well?” His mother said with sad eyes. Dean had no idea what she was talking about, so he shook his head.

John took over. “You and Sam were playing at the field behind the old mill. Sam fell down the well that had been dug into the ground, but was never covered up after the mill was abandoned. He landed on a small ledge a few feet down, but couldn’t get up. You crawled down and pushed him up the wall so he could get a firm grip on the top of the hole. Just as he got his legs swung up over the edge, the ledge that you were standing on crumbled underneath your feet and you fell 20 feet down into the water on the bottom. Sam couldn’t do anything but run for help. 

“On his way home, he ran into Castiel Novak, who found a long rope and ran to the hole. You were unconscious at the time, so he tied the rope around an old tree nearby and the other end around his midsection. Sam had reached the house in the meantime and while I was on my way, Castiel had lowered himself into the pit to help you. 

“By the time I had reached the old well, he had pulled you from the water and had you in his arms. He was not very big for a 12 year old boy, so I pulled both of you from the water and up to safety. You were still unconscious but breathing. We got you home and you woke up later that same evening, but didn’t remember a damn thing. The doctors said we shouldn’t push it, that it was some kind of ‘safety mechanism’ in the brain and that you would remember when you were ready. I guess that never happened…” he trailed off and let his son digest it all. It was a lot to take in.

“So…he saved my life.” Dean tried very hard to understand it all. “Why didn’t I get to thank him?”

Mary answered that with a sad smile. “The doctors advised us not to let you meet him when you didn’t remember. That it could trick your memory and it could have been dangerous for you. Nobody knew better back then, honey. But we did thank him, a lot. 6 months later, he was shipped to Boston to a boarding school and we didn’t see him for a very long time. It was when your father first met Gabriel 10 years or so later, that we learned more of Castiel.”

Dean nodded. It made sense. He had to thank Castiel for saving his life.

“Excuse me.” He said and left the table, the living room and finally, the house. He had grabbed his jacket automatically and before he knew it, was in the Impala and on his way out of suburbia.

Dean Winchester was not a man who liked to have debts. He didn’t like to owe people anything and he especially didn’t like to depend on anybody. He was therefore extremely determined to settle this matter he had just learned about between him and Castiel. It was way overdue, 17 years to be precise. 

But then he pulled his car over to the side and stopped the engine. How did you pay somebody back for saving your life as a kid? You couldn’t. Not without being a douche. Besides, it was Sunday and Castiel probably wouldn’t be at the store and Dean had no idea where he lived. Maybe he could swing by Monday morning and…and what? Pay him back? Talk to him? Give him a fruit basket? “Come on Dean, you can do better than that.” 

Dean sighed. He only knew one person who would know what he should do. He turned on the engine and made a U turn.

“Oh hey, honey, you are just in time for dessert.” Mary Winchester smiled as he closed the front door behind him again.

“Of course he is.” John mumbled from the kitchen. “It’s pie.” 

Dean smiled. No way was he going to miss out on pie. Mary swatted her husband with a soft hand and a “behave” as she went and pulled the lukewarm apple pie from the windowsill. 

Dean just shrugged. “The man knows me,” he said and it earned a small smile from his father.

“Let’s go, son.” He said and both men walked from the kitchen to the dinner table once again. Hannah was on the floor as she played with a plastic dinosaur. Well, maybe not so much played as chewed the head and drooled down her front. It looked like a sturdy, well made plastic toy, so Dean wasn’t worried about her swallowing anything. Not really.

“Is that healthy?” he asked Jess who just smiled.

“I dunno. Found it in a dumpster behind the office, looked okay to me.” She joked and smiled at him. 

“It was that or your phone. Sam’s drowned.” Dean laughed at that, backed away and found his seat.

Sam came in and smiled at his brother. “Hey, Dean. Glad you’re back. I need your help.” He said and sat down beside him.

“Could you have a look at the car’s engine? It sounds weird.” Dean smiled and took a heavy sniff as his mother came in with the pie and whipped cream.

“Sam, your plastic piece of crap is not a car. But sure, I’ll give it a look after pie!” his voice rose in to a gleeful pitch at his mother sliced the crust and gave him the first piece. God, his mouth was watering!

Sam just shook his head with a smile and then looked up at his wife. He gave his wife a look similar to the look Dean gave his pie. So much love.

Soon everybody had a slice of pie on their plate and Dean had whipped cream all over his. And on his face. And a little on his tie.

The pie was washed down with coffee and nobody mentioned Gabriel or Castiel Novak again. Not until Dean and his mother cleaned up the kitchen and Dean asked his mother for advice on how to thank the man for saving his life.

“Well, first of all, I’m glad you said thank him, and not pay him. That’s what your father would have done. Actually, that was what your father did.” Mary replied.

Dean looked at her incredulously. “Really? How much?” 

Mary shook her head with a small smile. “I don’t know. He never told me because I was against it. You can’t pay somebody for saving your firstborn’s life. There’s not enough money in the world for that.” She looked at him and caressed his cheek with the back of her hand.

“I don’t know what I would have done, had I lost you back then.” Her eyes started to moisten up and Dean, who hated to see his mother cry, pulled her in to a hug. 

“Well you didn’t. I’m still here.” He said with a smiled and let her go. “But now that I know, what am I going to do? I can’t just go up and say “Hey, by the way, thanks for saving my life 17 years ago.”

She laughed a little at that and then looked up at him. “Actually, I think that sounds like a very good idea.” Then she turned to the sink and started to clean it. “And maybe you could…no, never mind.” 

That piqued Dean’s curiosity. If she had a better idea, he wanted to know. “What?” 

She turned on the tap and let the water splash away the dirty leftovers in the sink. 

“Invite him to dinner.” She looked up at Dean. “Here. I would love to thank him again, now that he’s back in town.” 

Dean knew it was partly a ploy and partly the truth. His mother would love to thank him again, but she would also love to see Dean invite the man out. And now, as she turned her big, loving eyes on him, he couldn’t say no, so he just nodded. “Okay mom.” 

She smiled and kissed his cheek. “That’s a good boy. Next Sunday, then.” 

Dean nodded and wracked his brain as he tried to figure out how to put this out there to the man he really didn’t know. God it was gonna be awkward!


	3. Dean Winchester: On My Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean grows a pair and starts lurking on Castiel. Sam is an idiot on a bicycle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter chapter this time, but I think it fits just fine. Let me know what you think so far!
> 
> Again, beta by wonderful Christine! :)

Come Monday, Dean Winchester was on a mission. He was up early and had showered, shaved, was dressed and had even had breakfast, all before Sam texted him.

“On my way. You up?” 

Dean smiled and shook his head. Not even a superior feeling Sam would get him down, not this morning.

“Yes. Meet you at the office, got stuff to do.” Dean replied back to Sam.

He left his house and turned on the engine. He was so not going to walk to work today, not if his plan worked as he hoped it would.

Dean parked across the street and sat in the car as he looked at the windows of the store. It was open and Castiel had even been outside, putting up a small table and two chairs and a lime-tree in a bucket. 

Dean had smiled as he watched the man work. He had also ducked for some reason, as if he didn’t want Castiel to see him. 

Just as Dean got up the nerve to go over there, Castiel came outside again and sat on the chair with a cup of coffee. Or tea. Who knew? 

“Dammit,” Dean thought to himself. Now there was no way Castiel wouldn’t notice him as he sat there for all this time. Or had lurked for all this time. 

Dean looked at his clock. 20 minutes to eight. Dammit. It was now are never. He sat up straight and decided to grow a pair. He then stepped out of the car and went straight across the street, over to Castiel. 

Castiel sat in the shadows of the building and seemed to enjoy the morning chill and the birds as they chirped. The city was still relatively quiet and only the baker down the street had been open earlier than Castiel’s shop. 

As Dean approached the man, he looked up at him and smiled, like they were old friends. In a way, they were. Friends who didn’t know anything about each other at all.

“Hello, Dean.” Castiel said, but made no indication to move.

“Hey, Cas.” Dean said and stopped a few feet from him.

Then the silence got awkward.

“Nice morning, huh?” Dean said and stuffed his hands down his pants pockets. 

Castiel smiled and leaned over his crossed legs. “Indeed.”

Dean nodded, more to himself than to Castiel. God, this was awkward.

“You mind if I sit?” he said and pointed at the chair.

Castiel shook his head and Dean sat.

“Coffee?” he asked and Dean nodded. 

“Sure. Black, no sugar.” 

Castiel smiled and put his own mug down and got up. A few moments later, he was back with a mug for Dean. It was green and had a big yellow flower on it and the same logo that the bags Dean had seen last week, had.

“Thanks.” Dean murmured and accepted the mug without incident. Castiel hummed and sat down again.

Neither of them said anything after that. After ten minutes, Dean had finished his coffee and looked at his watch. He had to go if he didn’t wanted to be late for work. That was when Castiel decided to talk.

“I didn’t think you would have the guts to come and talk to me this morning.” He began and just stared at the Impala with his mug in his hands. “I guess I was half right.” 

He then turned his head and looked at Dean with a smile. Dean felt his heart stop and then make a flutter as he felt himself turn beet red and chuckle to himself.

“Yeah, well you know…” he replied as Castiel kept on staring at him.

“Know what?” Castiel responded and Dean wasn’t sure.

Dean decided to try another tactic.

“I know who you are now.” Castiel lifted an eyebrow and turned his eyes back to the street. A man on a bicycle was on his way towards them, but other than that, it was still quiet around town.

“We’ve met before.” Castiel just said and took another sip of his now lukewarm coffee.

“Yeah. Why didn’t you say something? Last week, I mean?” 

Castiel still didn’t look at him, but now stared at the bicycle that slowly moved towards them. Poor guy was still working his way up the hill towards town. Dean was just happy it wasn’t him on that bike. You had to be an idiot if you took on that trip up the hill, freely, on a bike.

“Would it have made a difference?” 

Dean wasn’t sure how he would have reacted, had Castiel said anything.

“Yeah, it would.”

“Would you have remembered?”

“Probably not.”

“Then why bring it up?” the other man continued when Dean didn’t.

Silence.

“I’d like to thank you. Probably. And I’d like to know your version of what happened. I only have my family’s version and I still don’t remember myself. Not really.”

Castiel looked at him. “Are you sure?” he asked and Dean felt his eyes pierce through him and look straight into his soul. He shivered and looked away.

“Anyway, as I said I wanted to thank you. So does my family. We’d like to see you on Sunday for dinner, if you’d like. It’s okay if you have other plans, of course.” He babbled and he knew it, but he couldn’t stop himself. 

Castiel made him stop as he smiled at him. “I would love to, Dean.”

Dean stopped and couldn’t help but smile back.

“Really?! I mean, cool.” he said and stopped himself so that he didn’t sound like an excited teenage girl.

“Tell your family that that is very kind of them and though they have thanked me enough, it would be an honour to dine with them. And with you.” he added and Dean felt his ears burn. He smiled and looked away. The biker was close now. He seemed familiar…

“Okay, cool. Six o’clock then. You have the address? Or I could come pick you up if you like?” He was slowly backing away from Castiel now, who had risen from the chair and looked taller then. 

Dean remembered. Almost as tall as himself.

“I know where your parents live and I can get there myself, don’t worry about that.” he said with a smile and Dean couldn’t help but smile again as well. He kept on backing up and suddenly he felt the ground tip underneath him and he almost tripped backwards down the curb. He quickly regained his balance and laughed nervously back at Cas.

“Cool. Then, then I’ll see you there then.” Castiel smiled and nodded.

“Watch yourself, Dean.” Dean nodded and looked to both sides before crossing the street. 

He then stopped dead in his tracks. The man on the bike. Dean started to laugh. It was Sam. In a suit. Sweating like a pig. With what looked like spit on his shoulder. Sam ignored him and went straight past, smiled at Castiel and kicked after Dean. 

Dean sobered up as he looked at Cas who stood smiling with crossed arms. His crisp white shirt was rolled up his forearms and his black trousers matched his shoes, and fit perfectly around his waist. He looked hot. Smoking hot, Dean thought and felt himself blush for the thousandth time this morning. 

It was gonna be a long week until Sunday.

As he sat in the Impala and roared the engine, swung a perfect U-turn, he waved and smiled at Cas, who waved back. Dean saw in the rear view mirror how he gathered their mugs and went inside the store. He smiled and looked forward to Sunday. 

As he passed Sam on his bike, he drove really close and turned the music to full volume as he sped up. Sam on the other hand, flipped him the bird and tried to kick the car. Dean roared a “Hey! Watch it, bitch!” after him. Sam yelled “Jerk!” after him and the day was well on its way.


	4. Shopping with Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping with Mother or How Dean got something new, something old and something borrowed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the wonderful Christine for the beta!

Wednesday afternoon and Dean was buried under the bonnet of Sam’s car, yet again. This was the third time in four days. There wasn’t much Dean could do, it was plastic, computer programmed and all locked in a box. If he cranked it open to take a look at the engine, which he probably couldn’t fix anyway with his tools, the guarantee from the manufacturer wouldn’t cover any damage and Sam would shit a brick and claim Dean had broken it. 

This was why you should never buy new cars!

He sighed and stood up, worked the kinks out of his back after having leaned over the low car for so long. He already missed his Baby, even though she was only a few feet away from him.

“Stupid piece of plastic crap,” he muttered and looked at his fingers. They weren’t even dirty. This was not a car. It couldn’t be. This monster in front of him was a symbol of the decrease of Western civilization intelligence.

“Don’t let Sam catch you say that.” Jess had shown up from out of nowhere, a baby monitor in her pants pocket and glasses of lemonade in her hands. He smiled and accepted the beverage with a murmur of thanks.

“Sam knows I hate his car. What I don’t understand is that he asked my opinion when he started to look for cars. He asked dad. And still, this is what he came home with.” 

Jess smiled and looked at the car. “Yeah, about that…” she said and wouldn’t look Dean in the eyes anymore.

Then it hit him.

“Oh no, you didn’t!” Dean was shocked. You thought you knew somebody…

“I like it!” she defended herself and stepped back and looked at the car.

“It´s shiny and big and black and makes a lot of noise! It’s cool!!”

Dean stepped back and presented the Impala for her, as if it was the first time she saw it.

“But Dean, yours is…old.”

He felt like she had just kicked him in the groin. How dared she?!

“She is not old!” he exclaimed. “She´s a classic and I swear to God, she can outrun your toy car any day!” 

Jess smiled and tried to calm down her brother in law. She had found a bee’s bonnet and had not only woken the nest, but also kicked it, hosed it down and peed on it. It was time to make amends.

“I know Dean, she is a beauty! And you keep her so well, you can´t see that she´s a day over 10! You have a talent! Sam…well, Sam is good at a lot of things, but cars aren’t one of them,” she tried. Dean knew she was right, Sam sucked at mechanics, and she took the murder from his eyes with her words, but he was still offended.

“Sam sucks at cars,” he muttered and stepped away from the Mustang and over to his own car and wiped a spot that wasn’t there almost as if he tried calm the car down. It was more likely to be himself that he tried to calm.

“Don’t listen to her, Baby, you are a queen amongst peasants.” Had he been alone, he would have kissed the hood, Jess was sure of it. At that moment, the baby monitor started to make noise as Hannah woke. Jess stepped back from the cars and her slightly deranged brother in-law and excused herself to take care of the real baby in the family.

Dean picked up his phone from the front seat of the Impala and texted Sam: “You are so whipped!” was all he wrote and stuffed the phone down his back pocket. He then went and closed the hood of the car and picked up his tools.

A few hours later, Sam answered his text. “What the hell are you talking about? And why aren’t you at your office?!”

Dean smiled as he took a bite of his sandwich, feet on the kitchen table, computer on his legs and crumbs all over the keyboard. He picked up his phone from the table, read his text and then answered.

“I’m taking a day off. I’m talking about you, Jess and your toy-car. I know the truth!” He put the phone down and took another bite. None of his online friends were, well, online. Not even Charlie, Queen of Sherwood. He thought about opening a game but then again, it wasn’t really the same with out his friends. Last night he had gotten his ass handed to him by a 12 year old kid in Oslo in a game of FIFA on his Playstation. Soccer sucked big time anyway.

Dean closed the laptop and put it back on the table. He got up, ate the rest of his sandwich and took a carton of milk from the fridge, expired by only a day. It smelled fine, he decided, and took a large swallow. It tasted fine so he drank it all, with only some of it spilled down the front of his t-shirt. He wiped his face and a lazy hand dragged over the milk on the cotton and he threw the carton away.   
As Dean wiped his hand on the old t-shirt, he remembered Castiel from the shop. He would see him again on Sunday and get an explanation. He was excited about that. Yeah sure, it was the explanation part that was exciting. Not the fact that he would see Castiel again, eat with him, hear his voice again and maybe, just maybe, hear him laugh. He hadn’t really heard that yet.

So when Sam texted him back, mortified and tried to explain why his wife had chosen the car from aesthetics alone, Dean looked into his closet. His clothing was lame. He had suits on one side and t-shirts and jeans on the other.

He answered Sam with an emoji, a whip, and then threw the phone on the bed. He had to get new clothing, but the only store he knew of, except for the tailor and Wal-Mart, was Castiel’s store. It would be just plain weird to go down there and buy a bunch of clothes only a few days before the Sunday dinner. It would reek of trying too hard, of desperation… No, he had to go out there and try and find some other stuff to wear. 

He briefly considered calling Charlie, but she had an even worse taste in clothing then he had. His dad had excellent taste but hated to shop. And it would be weird. Then there were Jess and the baby. That would be too much hassle and she would no doubt figure him out and tattle to Sam. He didn’t need that. 

Sam was out of the question. If the guy could sleep in his suits, he would be in seventh heaven. No, that only left his mom to help him. It wouldn’t be too bad if it weren’t for the fact that his mom would know the second he called her what was up. Hopefully, she wouldn’t dig too deep into it and just let it go. He crossed his fingers and called his mom.

Of course his mother said yes and half an hour later, Dean was on his way over to pick her up.  
As he pulled up the driveway, he saw her in the kitchen window. Well, more like, he saw them, in the kitchen window. They were his parents, for god’s sake! Ew! 

Dean honked the horn and his mother jumped, startled, then laughed and slapped his dad’s arms away from her waist. John had a big shit eating smile on his face and Dean could feel the bile rise in his throat. Mary kissed her husband on the mouth and a few seconds later, she was on her way out the door. John still smiled and gave his son a nod in greeting. Dean lifted his hand from the steering wheel and then leaned over and opened the door for his mother. She climbed in and kissed his cheek, then slammed the door shut, which made Dean wince and silently apologize to his car.

“Hi, mom,” he said as she smiled and blew his father a kiss out the window. Really? Right in front of him! He had learned not to say anything and just put the car in reverse and slowly backed out of the driveway.

“So,” she said and put her hands on her purse in front of her, “Where are we going?” she asked, even though Dean had asked her to help him find some clothing in Wal-Mart.

“Wal-Mart,” he said as he navigated his way around the round-about. Dean hated them and there were a ton of them in the quiet neighborhood. They were small and really just a bump in the road and his Baby hated them. Baby was too long and wide to really look graceful in them and usually Dean just slowed down and drove across them, but not with his mother in the car. She would complain and tell him to follow the traffic rules and really, his head pounded already after he saw his parents post coital, swapping spit in the kitchen. Just, ew.

“Oh really, Dean? I don’t like that place. Let’s go somewhere else!” she griped and looked out the window.

“Where?” Dean asked, wracking his brain for some other place to buy clothing that fit his age.

“Castiel’s shop!” she said and Dean rolled his eyes. Of course that’s what she would suggest.

“Veto,” he said and got the stink eye from his mother. He knew he really couldn’t say no to her, but veto always worked.

“Why not? I thought you like Castiel? And of course his shop, too.” He could feel his cheeks start to burn, so he found his sunglasses and put them on his face. At least then she couldn’t see his eyes burn as she no doubt would figure him out in seconds.

“This has nothing to do with Castiel.” Dean could see her smiling, knowing face from the corners of his eyes.

“Of course not.” That was all she said and he knew she knew. Goddammit!

“Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain,” she said, which made his head freeze.

“Excuse me?” he said and she nodded. “Apology accepted.”

“I didn’t say anything!” She looked at him. “Don’t raise your voice at me, young man.”

He tightened his hands around the steering wheel and took a deep breath. “Sorry,” he muttered and looked straight at the back of the small seat in front of him. What a stupid little car!

“I know what you’re thinking. And stop making eyes at the car in front of us. It’s a very popular car in Europe.” They hadn’t been driving for 10 minutes and she was already driving him crazy. This was a bad idea. 

“What about some music?” he suggested and turned on the radio. Metallica blared out and he quickly turned down the volume. “Sorry.” She didn’t say anything, just looked out the window. She was used to that kind of music from her husband but she didn’t like it blared out in her face as if she were at a rock concert. Dean knew that.

Outside of the music, only her directions and the engine’s purr, made a sound for the next 20 minutes. It was a long trip for a pair of pants and Dean wasn’t sure if it was worth it in the end.

As they entered a huge men’s store, too posh for Dean’s liking and personality, he stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and lowered his head. This was a bad idea.

His mother on the other hand, was like a fish in water. She chatted with the very feminine man who greeted them and ordered champagne for them and as they kissed each others cheeks in overly dramatic gestures, Dean wondered who his mom really was. He had never seen this side of her before. She told the dude that Dean was going to need a new wardrobe and that they wanted to see a little bit of everything. Dean’s feet hurt at the thought of the amount of time they would need to spend in the store. 

Dean looked around and wondered why the store looked more like a French castle than a store. There was a big, huge, chandelier on the ceiling and gold on the walls and big windows and live candles everywhere. He was suffocated in this atmosphere and felt that the huge paintings on the wall were going to come alive and grab him and pull him in to their world of dancing couples and hunting trophies. Compared to this, Castiel’s shop was a dump but Dean preferred the dump. It was homey and had a soul, instead of this Beverly Hills- wannabe craphole.

“Mom, do we need to do this? I don’t like this place,” he whispered in her ear just as the guy returned with the first set of clothing. A suit, of course. 

”It’s a nice place, Dean, with nice clothing and the service is tops. I don’t see a problem with it,” she said and smiled as the clerk presented the first suit. 

As he eyed Dean, a shiver ran down Dean’s back. He smiled and looked Dean straight in the eye and then down his body.

“I think this will suit your muscular frame perfectly.” The guy was already flirting with him, what the hell?

Dean cleared his throat. “Yeah I´m not really looking for suits. Already got a ton of them.” The man nodded and looked at Mary, who just shrugged and let him retreat with the suit. He soon came back with a pair of beige trousers, a green shirt and a pink pull over. Dean saw his mom’s eyes shine but he put his foot down.

“No. Way.” Mary looked at him as if he had kicked her.

“But Dean, hunny, this will so bring out you eyes, and the trousers are casual, just like you like it.”  
She was kidding him, right? She had to be, there were no way this was what he looked for.

“I think I might have what you are looking for then,” the clerk suggested as he once again checked out Dean’s body. Creep. He then left then and came back with a pair of Levi’s and a green polo-shirt with beige loafers. What the hell was it with this guy and green??

“Hell no,” he exclaimed which earned him a stare and a smack over his head from his mother.

“You are trying this on, young man, and you will watch you mouth!”

Dean grudgingly took the clothes and with his pride dragging behind him, he went in to the change booth. Well, room. The place was the size of Dean’s bedroom!

Why the hell had he asked his mother for help? And who the hell was this demon whom had possessed his mother’s fair body and now tormented him in to pulling a polo-shirt over his head. 

He kicked off his own baggy jeans and pulled on the black Levis´. Fuck, they were tight. Fuck fuck fuck! He was not going out in these…tights! He looked at the loafers with disdain. He didn’t even want to try them on. They were evil! He looked at him self in the mirror. He looked like a douche bag. Honestly, how could anybody feel comfortable in this?? And what was it about him that made the asshole of a clerk think that this was him?

“Fuck my life,” he whispered as he heard the clerk’s voice from behind the door.

“How are we doing in there?” and a second later, he knocked on the door. Dean didn’t answer. Maybe the clerk would go away, but his mother wouldn’t leave.

“Fuck off,” he said to the clerk and already knew his mother would hate him just a little bit for it. Well, tough. This had been a mistake from the get go. May as well end it with a crash and burn.

“Really!” the clerk exclaimed and Dean heard him flutter away. It brought a smile to his face as he imagined the dick’s face… te-heh. Soon though, his smile disappeared as he heard his mother’s voice as she rapped on the door.

“Dean?” she asked, pissed off, no doubt that the fucker had ratted on him.

“Yeah…” he muttered and braced himself for his mother’s wrath.

“What is your problem?” she thundered as she closed the door behind her.

“I´m sorry mom, but this isn´t me. I don’t like any of it. Plus the guy is a di-douche bag,” he corrected himself before he earned himself another smack from her.

“But you like jeans!” she said as she stepped behind him, directed him to the mirror again and corrected his collar and pulled up his pants. He felt like a 5 year old again.

“These aren´t jeans, they’re Levi’s. It´s too posh for me, too fancy. I’m not fancy, I´m just a mechanic…” he trailed off. Well, he wished he was just a mechanic.

“Oh, rubbish. You are Dean Winchester, my son. And my son isn´t just anything. Now straighten your back and let me look at you.” He turned around and let her critical eye run over him. Uncomfortable.

“Well, the jeans are nice, but let’s lose the shirt and get out of here. The clerk creeps me out.” He couldn’t help but laugh as a ton of bricks were lifted from his shoulders. His mom wasn’t angry at him.

They ended up leaving the shop with the jeans in a pretty bag, but Dean knew he would never be caught dead in them. They then went to Wal-Mart where Dean felt more at home and he quickly found two pairs of jeans, some shirts, t-shirts, pull overs and a jacket. 

As his mother saw him the the denim jacket, she smiled. “I have just the right jacket for you at home. It’s your father’s but he hasn’t used it since before you were born. I think it will fit you quiet well. And for Sunday, you can borrow an old necklace I got from my father. I think it will look nice on you, but I want it back. I still means a lot to me.” She smiled and they left Wal-Mart, heading for home.

And that was how Dean not only got some new clothes, he also got something old and something borrowed.


End file.
